Becoming a Navy SEAL requires meeting eligibility requirements, passing physical and mental tests, and completing over a year of rigorous training in sea, air, and land combat. The training is the toughest in the US Armed Services and includes Basic Demolition Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training, combat diving, ground warfare, and skydiving. After completion, SEALs can specialize in areas such as medical or officer training.
To become a Navy SEAL, you must meet certain eligibility requirements to enroll in the SEAL training program and be chosen to begin training. Navy SEAL training consists of over 12 months of initial training, followed by another 18 months of specialized training in specific fields or in a chosen area of specialization. The physical and mental stamina required to become a Navy SEAL is significant, and basic training is the toughest physical and mental training available in the US Armed Services.
Navy SEALs are named for the environmental conditions they are trained to fight in: sea, air, and land. They fall under a division of the US Navy referred to as Naval Special Warfare or Naval Special Operations. Established by President John F. Kennedy in 1962, the training required to become a Navy SEAL has become a high watermark for measuring the limits to which the human body can be pushed.
In order to become a Navy SEAL, you must first obtain certain basic qualifications to apply. You must be a male under the age of 28 who is a US citizen and meet the physical and vision requirements and obtain sufficiently high scores on the Armed Service Professional Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) exams. Minimum requirements for physical screening also include the ability to swim 500 meters (over 450 meters) in 12 minutes and 30 seconds, rest 10 minutes, perform 42 push-ups in two minutes, rest two minutes, perform 50 sit-ups in two minutes, rest two minutes, perform six push-ups with no time limit, rest 10 minutes, and complete a 1.5-mile run in 11 minutes and 30 seconds. These are the minimum requirements to consider to actually receive training to become a Navy SEAL.
If you are accepted into Navy SEAL training, you will need to complete Basic Demolition Underwater Demolition/SEAL or BUD/S training. This consists of 24 weeks of rigorous exercise and training, starting with three weeks of orientation to prepare you for the following 21 weeks. . The next seven weeks are used for fitness, with the fourth week of this training consisting of five and a half days of constant physical training, with a maximum of four hours of total sleep during this period. After physical conditioning, a seven-week combat diving program is completed, and then a ground warfare training program for an additional seven weeks.
This is followed by a three-week skydive program that culminates in tests that require you to make night jumps, equipped with combat equipment, at a minimum altitude of 9,500 feet (almost three kilometers). After BUD/S training, you will have to complete an additional 26 weeks of SEAL qualification training. This includes learning tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) for special naval warfare, including lessons on cold weather survival and Wednesday combat. If you complete this training, you will receive your Navy SEAL trident and it can move on to advanced training in areas such as medical specialization or officer training.
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